Back to jobs

Security Engineer (Suricata)

Washington, DC

GuidePoint Security provides trusted cybersecurity expertise, solutions and services that help organizations make better decisions and minimize risk. By taking a three-tiered, holistic approach for evaluating security posture and ecosystems, GuidePoint enables some of the nation’s top organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies and U.S. government agencies, to identify threats, optimize resources and integrate best-fit solutions that mitigate risk.

An active Top Secret / SCI clearance with the willingness to take and pass a polygraph exam is required for consideration for hire for this role. Work is to be performed 100% onsite with our Government Customer

We are seeking an experienced Suricata Engineer to join our cybersecurity team. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in Suricata, particularly in understanding and managing its YAML configuration files, and how these configurations integrate and influence the Suricata Intrusion Detection Systems/Intrusion Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS). You will play a critical role in deploying, tuning, and maintaining Suricata within a complex enterprise IT environment, primarily running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

A key focus of this role will be tuning Suricata to operate optimally with Napatech network interface cards (NICs), ensuring high-performance packet capture and processing while minimizing packet loss and system resource overhead.

Work with us as we secure and protect our nation's most sensitive capabilities.

What You’ll Work On:

  • Designing, deploying, and maintaining Suricata IDS/IPS systems across enterprise networks.
  • Developing, reviewing, and optimizing Suricata YAML configuration files to ensure optimal detection capabilities and minimal false positives.
  • Understanding and managing the interaction between Suricata’s YAML configuration and its runtime engine, including rule loading, protocol decoding, and logging.
  • Tuning Suricata for optimal performance with Napatech NICs, including configuring Direct Memory Access (DMA), RSS queues, interrupt coalescing, and leveraging any NIC-specific acceleration features.
  • Collaborating with security teams to integrate Suricata with SIEM and other security monitoring platforms.
  • Troubleshooting installation and operational issues specific to Suricata on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, addressing compatibility, kernel module requirements, SELinux policies, and performance tuning.
  • Identifying and mitigating common pitfalls encountered when deploying Suricata in large-scale enterprise environments, including package dependencies, system resource constraints, and NIC driver/configuration issues.
  • Provide detailed documentation and runbooks for Suricata configuration, tuning  NICs, and deployment processes.
  • Staying current with Suricata releases, NIC driver updates, and community best practices for network interface tuning and IDS/IPS performance enhancement.

Join us. The world can’t wait.

You Have:

  • Proven experience working with Suricata IDS/IPS systems, including hands-on management of its YAML configuration files.
  • Strong knowledge of the Suricata configuration structure, syntax, and how it controls detection rules, logging, and output modules.
  • Extensive experience administering Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems, including package management (yum/dnf), kernel module management, SELinux configuration, and system optimization.
  • Hands-on experience tuning Suricata for high-performance packet capture with Napatech NICs or similar advanced network interface cards.
  • Familiarity with NIC-specific features such as DMA, Receive Side Scaling (RSS), interrupt moderation, and offload capabilities, and how to configure them for Suricata.
  • Experience troubleshooting Suricata’s interaction with NIC drivers and kernel modules in an enterprise environment.
  • Experience with scripting languages (Bash, Python) to automate Suricata configuration and deployment tasks.
  • TS/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain a counter-intelligence polygraph.
  • Associate’s degree and 5+ years of experience supporting IT projects and activities or Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of experience supporting IT projects and activities or Master’s degree and 1+ years of experience supporting IT projects and activities. Years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree.
  • DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification, including Security+ CE, CCNA-Security, GSEC, SSCP, CySA+, GICSP, or CND Certification.
  • Ability to obtain a DoD 8570 Cybersecurity Service Provider - Infrastructure Support Certification, including CEH, CySA+, GICSP, SSCP, CHFI, CFR, Cloud+, or CND Certification, within 60 days of start date.

Nice If You Have: 

  • Proficient understanding of network protocols, intrusion detection methodologies, and security event correlation.
  • Experience integrating Suricata with Splunk, or other SIEM solutions.
  • Knowledge of containerized deployments of Suricata (Docker/Kubernetes) in enterprise environments.
  • Familiarity with common Linux operating systems, including RHEL, Oracle, CentOS.
  • Familiarity with other industry-standard IDS/IPS solutions and related technologies.
  • Ability to be a self-starter, work without considerable direction, and work with a team.
  • Possession of excellent verbal and written communication skills, including for coordinating efforts and establishing customer relations.

We use Greenhouse Software as our applicant tracking system and Zoom Scheduler for HR screen request scheduling. At times, your email may block our communication with you. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder so that you don't miss updates on your application.


Why GuidePoint?

GuidePoint Security is a rapidly growing, profitable, privately-held value added reseller that focuses exclusively on Information Security. Since its inception in 2011, GuidePoint has grown to over 1000 employees, established strategic partnerships with leading security vendors, and serves as a trusted advisor to more than 4,200 customers.

Firmly-defined core values drive all aspects of the business, which have been paramount to the company’s success and establishment of an enjoyable workplace atmosphere. At GuidePoint, your colleagues are knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced and will seek to collaborate and provide mentorship and guidance at every opportunity.  

This is a unique and rare opportunity to grow your career along with one of the fastest growing companies in the nation.

Some added perks….

  • Remote workforce primarily (U.S. based only, some travel may be required for certain positions, working on-site may be required for Federal positions)
  • Group Medical Insurance options: Zero Deductible PPO Plan (GuidePoint pays 90% of the premium for employees and 70% for family plans (spouse/children/family) or High Deductible Health Plan with HSA (GuidePoint pays 100% of the employees premiums and 75% for family plans (spouse/children/family) and GPS will contribute in one lump sum: ($500 per EE annually / $1000 per family annually (includes spouse/children/family options)
  • Group Dental Insurance: GuidePoint pays 100% of the premium for employees and 75% of family plans
  • 12 corporate holidays and a Flexible Time Off (FTO) program
  • Healthy mobile phone and home internet allowance
  • Eligibility for retirement plan after 2 months at open enrollment
  • Pet Benefit Option

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at GuidePoint Security? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Include Apartment information here also.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in GuidePoint Security’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.